The Women and Work Commission legacy in the age of austerity

In 2006 the UK Women and Work Commission found that significant pay inequalities between men and women in the workplace continued. Many of the contributory factors were complex but, crucially, occupational segregation, lack of vocational qualifications, discrimination and fewer quality job opportunities enabling women to combine their work and care roles, needed to be addressed in order to close the gender pay gap. Through the viewpoint of three senior women trade unionists, this article examines the findings and recommendations of the UK Women and Work Commission as set out in the first report 2006 and final report 2009. It assesses the progress made against the final recommendations and discusses the impact that the change in government policy direction, with its focus on deficit reduction, is having on closing the gender pay gap.